In an impressive feat, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, crossed the monumental milestone of 10,000 runs in One Day International (ODI) cricket during an Asia Cup Super 4 match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Let’s explore how Rohit’s journey from a middle-order batsman to the fastest opener to reach 8,000 ODI runs was shaped, largely thanks to the influence of the legendary MS Dhoni.

Rohit Sharma’s career in the Indian cricket team had its share of challenges during his initial years. However, everything changed when MS Dhoni, the iconic former India captain, made a crucial decision to promote Rohit Sharma as an opener. This decision would ultimately alter the course of Rohit’s cricketing journey.

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, reflecting on Rohit’s career, emphasized the pivotal role played by MS Dhoni. He underscored how scoring 10,000 runs was no easy feat for Rohit and highlighted the ups and downs he faced along the way. Gambhir expressed his belief that Rohit Sharma’s transformation into a cricketing icon is in large part due to MS Dhoni’s mentorship.

Gambhir stated on Star Sports, “Rohit Sharma is Rohit Sharma today because of MS Dhoni.”

Gautam Gambhir suggested that, like Dhoni, Rohit Sharma will need to support and nurture young talents if he aims to leave a lasting legacy in the cricketing world. He pointed out how MS Dhoni continually backed Rohit during his initial struggles, and Gambhir believes that Rohit will need to follow suit to ensure the growth of emerging players.

He added, “It will be interesting to see how he grooms the upcoming players.”

Gambhir reminisced about his first encounter with Rohit Sharma during a domestic match. In this match, Rohit, batting at number 5, single-handedly turned the game around by scoring 130 runs and securing victory for his team from challenging conditions. This performance left Gambhir in awe and convinced him that Rohit Sharma was indeed a special talent.